This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Containers must be filled with liquids or gases for numerous technical applications. A typical application in this respect are motor vehicles where housings, circuits, equalizing reservoirs and the like have to be filled with fuel, lubricants, coolants, and other operating substances. In the manufacturing process, these vehicles must be filled, for example, with brake fluid, power steering fluid, coolant, refrigerant, windshield wiper fluid, and fuel. These media are fed via hoses and special adapters to the respective circuits of the vehicles. The hoses typically include multiple lines with different functions for vacuum application, back suction, filling, aerating, as well as for electrical cables.
To perform the filling, a worker has to bring the adapter and hose pack to the vehicle depending on the respective position of the filling station and connect it to the ports of the circuits to be filled. Clamping claws are frequently used for clamping the filling adapter to the vehicle container to be filled. It can happen that the claws have to be positioned at a specific angle to the container. This is influenced by the design of the container or the vehicle, in that for example lugs, protrusions or similar contours are formed on the container.
In the clamping actuator designs that are currently in use, the claws are fixed in their position during actuation. This means that the entire clamping actuator must be rotated relative to the filling adapter to adjust an angle. This technical solution has considerable disadvantages. For example, it requires extensive placement of intermediate plates. The entire design also requires some effort because multiple media and control lines must be rerouted. The design must always be adjusted to the specific conditions of use at the customer's premises. Only a fixed angle can be implemented. The design results in a heavy weight and requires relatively much space on the adapter, which impairs handling altogether. Extending the lever arm also affects the container because of the adapter weight. And finally the cost of manufacture is high. There is an obvious need for development due to these disadvantages.